Date: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Venue: VisCenter, DFKI Saarbrücken, Saarland Informatics Campus
Time: 3:00 pm – approx. 8:00 pm
Format: In-person
The event will be held entirely in German!
About the Event
Three years of CERTAIN, three years of research and networking in the field of Trusted AI. Under the motto “From Trust to Impact“, we look back together on what has been achieved and ask the questions that now lie ahead:
- How much control does AI need in practice?
- How are research findings being received by businesses and institutions?
- What future regulations will the business sector face, and how will research, business and politics shape this path together?
The 3rd Trusted AI Day thrives on direct exchange between research, business, and policy. Take the opportunity to make new connections and to get in touch with us.
Agenda
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 15:00 – 15:10 | Opening & Welcome |
| 15:10 – 15:25 | Welcome Address Philipp Slusallek (DFKI/CERTAIN) |
| 15:25 – 16:00 | CERTAIN Update & Talks Kevin Baum & Simon Ostermann (DFKI/CERTAIN) A look at three years of Trusted AI research and an outlook on the questions that lie ahead. |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Break & Networking |
| 16:30 – 17:15 | Panel: From Trust to Safety and Security? – How much control does AI need? Oversight, safety, and accountability in practice Vera Sikes (BSI), Jeanne Dillschneider (German Bundestag), Alexej Behnisch (CISPA), Dr. Christoph Poetsch (TÜV AI Lab) AI is making more and more decisions, often without a human stepping in. But how much oversight is necessary, and how much is even possible? Between the need for safety and the pace of development lies a tension that challenges research, policy, and practice alike. A panel on the question of who ultimately stays in control. |
| 17:15 – 18:00 | Panel: From Trust to Action – How does Trusted AI reach practice? Perspectives from industry and research Dr. Christina Bender (Villeroy & Boch), Pascal Schumacher (Krämer IT), Clemens Weins (Peter Gross Bau) Between a research finding and its productive use in a company, there is often a considerable gap. What does it take for AI to not only work in practice, but also to be trustworthy? Representatives from different industries share openly where they stand, what they are missing, and what research and business can achieve together. |
| 18:00 – 18:15 | Wrap-up & Summary |
| 18:15 – open end | Get-together & Networking |
Panelists
Alexej Behnisch is responsible for governmental relations at CISPA and, as a political scientist, oversees the centre’s political relations and analysis. He studied International Relations and History at the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and later served as a visiting scholar at the University of Southern California (USC). Based in Brussels, he worked for many years as a political adviser on various projects across Europe. Most recently, he lived in Portugal before moving to Saarland and joining CISPA in 2024.
As Director of Data Science & Analytics, Dr. Christina Bender is driving forward the digital transformation of Villeroy & Boch AG and leads an international team across several European locations. Her end-to-end responsibilities range from modern reporting and planning environments to the productive use of generative AI in business processes. A graduate in financial economics with a PhD in mathematics (University of Konstanz & Yale University), she has held positions in investment banking at UniCredit, has many years’ experience in specialist and technology consultancy at d-fine, and has been a regular lecturer. Through her supervision of practice-oriented dissertations – including in collaboration with the DFKI – she maintains a direct link to cutting-edge research. At the Trusted AI Day, she will share her conviction that successful and trustworthy AI transformation can only be achieved if technology, governance and the involvement of people go hand in hand.
Jeanne Dillschneider has been a Member of the German Bundestag for the Saarland since 2025 and has served as regional chair of the Saarland Greens since 2023. She is the chairwoman and deputy chair of her parliamentary group on the Digital Affairs Committee, where she advocates, amongst other things, for cyber security, data protection and data use, as well as digital civil rights. She is also a member of the Defence Committee, where she contributes her expertise in the fields of cyber, the Air Force, cyber security, space and drones. She is a member of the Sub-Committee on Arms Control and Proliferation, Non-Proliferation and International Disarmament, as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly. Furthermore, Jeanne Dillschneider is a lawyer specialising in data protection and IT law.
Dr. Christoph Poetsch is Head of AI Quality and Ethics at TÜV AI.Lab, a joint venture founded by some of the largest and most important companies in the certification industry in Germany and beyond. The TÜV AI.Lab is paving the way for trustworthy AI by developingconformity criteria and test methods for AI systems. Dr. Christoph Poetsch’s core tasks at the AI.Lab are in the field of AI quality, AI ethics and systematic groundwork. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Heidelberg and has completedresearch and visiting stays at Yale-NUS College Singapore, the University of Notre Dame and the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris.
Pascal Schumacher is an authorised signatory and Technical Director at Krämer IT Cloud Services. In this role, he is responsible for the operation and further development of the company’s data centre and cloud infrastructure. A particular focus of his work is on sovereign AI solutions operated within the company’s own data centre – compliant with data protection regulations, secure and under European control. He brings his in-depth technical expertise to the role, drawn from a long-standing career in the IT services, infrastructure and data centre sectors.
Vera Sikes has been head of the BSI’s Saarbrücken office since 2022 and is head of division in the BSI’s Technology Strategy and Information Technology Department. After studying public administration (Dipl. Verwaltungswirtin Bund) and electrical engineering (Dipl. Ingenieurin Nachrichtentechnik) and working for many years in IT operations, she has been involved since 2014 in the development and implementation of knowledge management systems on cyber security topics for security authorities. She has been with the BSI since 2022, where, amongst other things, she works with the centres of expertise for security in cloud computing and artificial intelligence to identify technical changes and develop appropriate solutions with a view to ensuring information security.
Clemens Weins is Head of AI & Innovation at Peter Gross Bau Holding and Managing Director of 1885 Technologies. For many years, he has been working in the fields of digitalisation, artificial intelligence and the practical implementation of new technologies in companies. His career has taken him from the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the W3C Germany/Austria Office, via DB Systel, to strategy and transformation consultancy at kuehlhaus AG. There, he supported companies in the development of new business models, digitalisation projects and innovation initiatives. Today, he combines expertise in technology, strategy and implementation with a clear focus on the tangible added value that AI brings to businesses and family-run enterprises.
Registration
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.